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P a r t i
c l e C h e m i s t r y Partikelchemie |
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Aerosol and Cloud Chemistry
Group -- Research
Aerosol and cloud particles play an important role in the Earth's atmosphere. They can absorb or scatter incoming solar radiation, thereby influencing the energy balance of the atmosphere. The contribution of aerosol and clouds to the radiative forcing is still one of the largest uncertainties in today's understanding of the climate system (see Figure, taken from the recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, ICCP). Aerosol particles and cloud droplets exist in a close relationship: Without aerosol particles, no cloud droplets would form in the troposphere. When the relative humidity increases towards 100%, aerosol particles can act under certain circumstances as a cloud condensation nucleus (CCN) or, at lower temperatures, as an ice nucleus (IN). The ability of an aerosol particle to act as a CCN or as an IN is dependent on its size and on its chemical composition, possibly also on its shape and surface properties, however, these processes are still not fully understood. The "Aerosol and Cloud Chemistry" group is therefore active in investigating the connections between aerosol particles and cloud formation. Another important issue of aerosol research is the adverse effect of aerosol particles on men's health. Several studies have confirmed the correlation of mortality with fine particle mass (PM10 or PM2.5). Especially ultrafine (d < 100 nm), insoluble particle are regarded to be dangerous. For these reasons, the investigation of traffic exhaust particles is an additional research focus of the "Aerosol and Cloud Chemistry" group. The most important measurement technique is aerosol mass spectrometry, but also different other instrumentation (as scanning mobility particle sizers, optical particle counters, condensation particle counters, multi-angle absorption photometer, tapered element oscillating microbalance) are employed. More about the instrumentation: - Online Aerosol Mass Spectrometry Overview - Q-AMS - C-ToF-AMS - ALABAMA |
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Particle Chemistry
Department - MPI for Chemistry -
Joh.-Joachim-Becher-Weg 27 - 55128 Mainz Tel.: +49 (0)6131 305 586 - +49 (0)6131 305 597 |
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